SELECT-SWITCH is the first double-blind RCT to test mechanism-of-action switching (to the JAK inhibitor upadacitinib) versus cycling to a second TNF inhibitor (adalimumab) after a first TNFi fails in RA. At 12 weeks, upadacitinib roughly doubled low-disease-activity rates and beat adalimumab on the primary endpoint and 4 of 5 ranked secondaries — though HAQ-DI function did not separate and safety was comparable.
A 2026 review of steroid-sparing therapy across the GCA–PMR spectrum: glucocorticoids still induce remission but drive substantial cumulative toxicity, so the field has pivoted to IL-6 receptor inhibition (tocilizumab in GCA, sarilumab in PMR) and JAK inhibition (upadacitinib now approved for GCA) — none of which reliably restores treatment-free remission, against a backdrop of weak monitoring tools and GCA-specific vascular-damage risk.
A combined individual-patient-data analysis of the NORD-STAR and BeSt trials shows that where early RA is distributed carries prognostic signal: hand-dominant disease (JIP-Hand) predicts better treatment response and polyarthritis (JIP-Poly) worse — independent of sex and serology, and equally across csDMARDs and bDMARDs, with ACPA/RF showing no association with short-term activity response.
A 2026 practical review of morphea (localized scleroderma) across age groups — an organ-sparing autoimmune skin disease distinct from systemic sclerosis. Covers classification, the high-stakes subtypes (pansclerotic, facial linear), activity-vs-damage assessment, and management anchored on long-course methotrexate plus a steroid bridge, where depth and site dictate aggressiveness.
A propensity-score analysis of the Lupus–Cruces–Bordeaux inception cohort: early (first-year) methylprednisolone pulses were associated with a ~40% reduction in long-term irreversible damage or death in active SLE, with benefit concentrated in moderate–severe disease — likely reflecting an MP-anchored low-steroid strategy rather than the molecule alone.
A 2026 practical distillation of the 2023 ACR/CHEST guidelines on SSc-ILD — the single leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis. Covers proper screening (full PFTs + non-contrast HRCT), monitoring schedules, the first-line drug evidence (mycophenolate, tocilizumab, rituximab, nintedanib), and the strong recommendation against glucocorticoids.
A 2026 review of renal involvement in systemic sclerosis — a spectrum well beyond scleroderma renal crisis (SRC), covering the diagnostic constellation, five converging mechanisms, risk factors (anti-RNA polymerase III, early dcSSc, steroids), and the management essentials: immediate ACE inhibition, never stopped for a rising creatinine.
A 2026 review of pathogenesis-directed SLE therapeutics anchored to the 2025 ACR SLE and 2024 ACR lupus nephritis guidelines — the FDA-approved and off-label drugs by mechanism, indication and monitoring, plus the metabolic/mitochondrial, IL-1, cardiometabolic and non-pharmacological strategies, mapped by organ manifestation.
A 2026 review of the psoriatic arthritis pipeline, organised around two vectors — greater precision (dual IL-17A/F blockade, engineered molecular formats, selective oral TYK2 inhibition, oral IL-23R antagonism) and moving earlier to intercept the psoriasis-to-PsA transition — alongside metabolic and dual-targeted strategies.
A 2026 pictorial review of the conditions that mimic sacroiliitis on SIJ MRI — bone marrow oedema is sensitive but the least specific sign, and overcalling it risks committing patients to lifelong biologic therapy. Erosion, lesion combinations, topographic location, semi-axial imaging and clinical context are the defences against false-positive reads.